Love can have this vast, all-encompassing quality. It can be allowed to spread until it permeates the very core of our relationships. Yet often, instead of giving love room to expand, we box it in with our expectations. Expectations make our love conditional on whether or not the relationship fulfills our wishes. How can you expect love to last when you demand that it meet your conditions, and you act as if you own another person?
17th Karmapa
from the book The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out
translated by Ngodup Tsering Burkhar & Damchö Diana Finnegan
Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.
Further quotes from the book The Heart Is Noble:
- Balanced Life
- Who are you
- Let the moon be the keeper of my love
- Distinguishing between wants and needs
- Breaking barriers
- Expanding our sense of ourselves
- Take joy in your sincere intentions
- We need space to grow and learn from our own mistakes
- Facing Impermanence Wisely
- Greed is a recipe for dissatisfaction
- The Wealth of Contentment
- True Wealth
- Social action
- Life in Balance
- The intention to work for others
- The kindness we receive from others
- Boxed limitless potential
- Nothing is intrinsically bad
- Protective Inner Wisdom
- Taking delight in your inner nature